Polish Children of Pahiatua

On a sunny morning on 1 November 1944, 733 Polish children, together with about 105 caregivers, on board the American troopship General Randall awoke to the picturesque sights of Wellington. This safe harbour marked the end of a tragic exodus from Poland four years before, when hundreds of thousands of Polish people were forcibly removed to Siberian gulags. It’s estimated over 1.7 million Poles were taken in total, of whom hundreds of thousands never survived.

70 years on, the 'Pahiatua Children' retrace their journey from Wellington to the site of their camp in Pahiatua, where they were cared for over five years. Dubbed 'Little Poland', they were free to cultivate the Polish language and culture in the New Zealand countryside, while learning about their new home. This emotionally powerful short documentary, The Polish Children of Pahiatua - 70th Reunion, follows the now older 'Pahiatua Children' over several days as they remember their childhood, survival and ultimately their lives in their new home of New Zealand. 

The film was written, directed and co-produced by Wanda Lepionka, the daughter of two Polish Pahiatua children, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Wellington, together with the ‘Polish Children to NZ, 70th Anniversary Committee’ and ‘Celebrating Everything Polish’.

CREW

DIRECTOR: Wanda Lepionka

PRODUCERS: Wanda Lepionka & David Strong

CAMERA: Ivars Berzins

EDITOR: Murray Ferguson